Painters Tape Review 3M vs Frogtape

Products - FrogTape vs 3M Painters Tape
Test - Applied to wall surfaces to protect wall from applied Paint.
Cost- $6.50-$9.50
Conclusion - FrogTape held up very well with little bleed through.  The tape was easily applied and removed from the wall.  3M tape was easily applied but had some tearing problems and allowed more bleed through.
A lot of contractors use some type of painters tape on painting projects.  Painters tape is used for allowing fast painting and to protect surfaces that are not getting painted.  When used the appropriate way, the tape, will allow the painter to make sharp straight lines when painting.  There are many different makes, different sizes and different adhesion types.  The key element in painters tape is the adhesive.  If the adhesive is too sticky then the tape will leave behind a sticky residue and or remove the paint from the surface.  If the adhesive is too dry then the tape will allow wet paint to bleed under the tape.

FrogTapeJust recently, I purchased a couple of rolls of green FrogTape.  On past projects I have used the 3M blue painters tape, but I always wanted to test the claims of FrogTape.  With using the 3M tape I have  always had some type of bleed through.  I am positive that the bleed through was not always the tapes problem but had something to do with my preparation before painting.  Since I had some extra cash in my pocket when I was at the hardware store I figured I would pick up a couple sizes of green FrogTape to see how well it performed.

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Free Sample Contractors Contracts

When building a business your best work is not necessarily the work you do in the field it actually starts before you start the job. When potential clients call they want to hear the most professional company over the phone.  Also, when you show up to give your estimate you have to make the best effort to prove that you are the best contractor for the job.

contracts

The interview starts right at the first telephone call.  The interview is key for being successful at winning the job.  It is also the first time to explain to the customer on how you do business.  One professional tool for helping to secure customers and to show that you are a professional business is the contract.  Contracts help you establish all the ground work before starting the job.  They also legally secure you in to providing the work and for getting paid.  When you explain to a customer what is in your contract and how it protects your business and how it protects them, this will show them that you are a legitimate business.  Good customers do not mind signing the extra paperwork and setting through the contract explanation.  You may not always get the job but at least you can show your potential clients that you are a serious business contender.

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House Plans

*12/1/09 Update: On Hold *
house plan house plan
Sponsored by B and E Design

Building A Pressure Treated Fence

"Great fences, make great neighbors."

fence
There are many different kinds of fences from simple decorative fences, to elaborate stone fences. The fence that I would like to talk about is the average six foot high privacy fence.  In the past years the average fence was made of pressure treated wood, however more fence material is being made out of PVC.  This material is lightweight, durable, and doesn´t need finishing.  Since PVC is still more expensive than wood fences a wood fence is still very popular, an a inexpensive DIY job.

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Outdoor Playsets

Swing Set Layout and Maintenance
playset
Swing sets are a great way to spend time with your kids in the backyard.  These play sets can run from a couple hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.  The Rainbow set is really the Cadillac of swing sets and they are great play sets.  However, if you cannot afford the Rainbow set there are a lot of other great sets that can provide hours of fun.

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Installing a Window Well French Drain

French drains are common drainage systems, used to prevent ground and rain water from damaging a structures foundation and or interior dwelling.  French drains are made up of corrugated PVC tile and or gravel.  The french drain allows rain water and or ground water to be diverted around a structure and into a central collection area.
french drain
From the last article I wrote on weeping tiles, I added a french drain to the project during the clean out of the old clay tiles.  The french drain was added to a window well that had filled up with rain water under extreme heavy downpours.  In 2008 during a summer thunderstorm rain water pooled around the back side of the house.  This caused the window well to take on water.  The water had no where to go and so it passed the sliding glass basement window and into the basement.  Due to the spot close to a floor drain the homeowner did not have much damage.  However, it was enough of an issue that they decided to fix the problem.

 

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Clean, Fix or Install Weeping Tiles For A Dry Basement

Most homes with basements usually have drain tiles called weeping tiles.  These tiles help keep the basement dry.  The tiles run around the outside of the basement footer just below the level of concrete floor.  The tiles carry ground water away from the walls and into either the sewer line (old way) or into a sump pump (new way).  The old way was done with clay tile and dumped into the sewer line before storm drains were installed by municipalities.

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Tankless Water Heater Review

tankless

Before beginning this article only contains information on tankless water heaters that run on gas either natural gas or propane.  The tankless units that run on electricity are not economical as most cannot produce the efficiencies and output as gas.

During a trip to Europe in 1998 I found out about these little suit case like devices called tankless water heaters. Up to that time I had only been accustom to the tank water heaters.  While I was there I found out how they worked however, here in the States they were not very popular in 1998.  It took sometime for these units to become popular and to find an installer to install them.

Fast forward ten years to 2007 when I purchased my first tankless water heater. Our old tank was eleven years old and I figured I had better start seriously looking into finding another tank or a tankless to replace it. The motivating factor was that the government was not going to extend the tax breaks on the tankless in 2008 so I purchased the tankless at the end of 2007.  The model I purchased was the Rinnai R53i which supports multiple location use and has many features which eliminate some of the known issues that come along with other tankless water heater.

 

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